Armor & Mobility

SEP-OCT 2016

Military magazines in the United States and Canada, covering Armor and Mobility, focuses on tactical vehicles, C4ISR, Special Operations Forces, latest soldier equipment, shelters, and key DoD programs

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The U.S. Marine Corps is overseeing the evolution of its next-generation Amphibious Combat
Vehicle (ACV) 1.1 to augment its Amphibious Assault Vehicle fleet currently receiving a
survivability upgrade (AAV SU). ACV 1.1 will rely on a maneuvering capability with ship-to-shore
connectors, while a later 1.2 variant will have enhanced amphibious capabilities, including
increased water speed and the ability to self-deploy from amphibious ships.
By Kevin Hunter, A&M Editor
This past March, the Marine Corps took delivery of the first of 10
Marine Assault Amphibious Vehicle prototypes (AAV-SU) Survivability
Upgrade of the Corps' legacy Assault Amphibious Vehicles, beginning a
rigorous testing period before taking the upgrades into full production.
Developmental testing and low rate initial production (LRIP) delivering
52 vehicles for operational test and evaluation and to USMC units. This
single-award, firm fixed-price contract to SAIC's previously announced
initial contract value of $16 million for the engineering phase of the
contract, with a total contract value of approximately $194 million
over five years if all options are exercised. Under the contract, SAIC
will upgrade AAVs to provide improved protection while gaining
back land and water mobility that improves the AAV's ability to fight.
Upgrades include armor, engine rebuild to improve horsepower and
torque, replace aging transmission, upgrade suspension components,
install new water jets, install blast-resistant seats, and upgrade vehicle
control, instrumentation and driver interface systems.
In November 2015, ACV 1.1 contracts were awarded BAE Systems
and Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to
develop prototypes for evaluation. BAE Systems contract was for
$103.8 million and SAIC's for $121.5 million, and each company is
to build 16 prototypes to be tested over the next two years. Both
vendors are expected to start delivering their prototypes in the
Spring of 2017 for testing, and the Marines expect to down select
to a single vendor in 2018. Initial operational capability (IOC) is
expected by the end of 2020, and all ACV 1.1 vehicles are planned to
be fielded by the summer of 2023. Plans are to equip six battalions
with ACV 1.1s and 392 existing upgraded AAVs. BAE Systems
prototype can accommodate 13 Marines and can travel 11.5 miles
at about 7 miles per hour (mph) in surf and 65 mph on land. BAE
Systems version incorporates a V hull design intended to protect
passengers from underside blasts and has external fuel tanks for
increased safety. SAIC's version is said to travel 7 mph in water and
incorporates a V hull design as well as blast-mitigating seats. The
Marines are also conducting a carry-over study of a high speed water
studies effort, ACV 2.0, being transferred to the Navy Science and
Technology for R&D.
"SAIC is on track to build 16 prototypes for the U.S. Marine
Corps and anticipates delivery of the first vehicle in Spring 2017,"
TIP OF THE
AMPHIBIOUS SPEAR
BAE Systems' ACV 1.1 fully amphibious vehicle offering currently in production at the company's York, PA facility
www.tacticaldefensemedia.com
40 | Armor & Mobility September/October 2016
ENHANCEMENTS AND EVOLUTION